Meeting New People
by Forbidden Tomatoes
Summary: Gilbert always loves causing trouble. But, it does get boring after a while, even for him. Seems he needs to rely on someone to get his mind away from the chaos. Does this odd little man with a polar bear provide a good enough distraction? Well, maybe it turns into more than a distraction in the end.
1. Meeting New People

**Hello there, lovely people! Before you read this, let me just start by saying that I wrote this...almost three years ago. I found it in my notes and decided, "Why the heck not?" So here I am with a terribly-written PruCan fanfic. Please enjoy my suffering.**

* * *

Gilbert yawned and folded his hands behind his head and kicked his feet up on the table. He smirked slightly at the chaos he had started in the world meeting room; calling out embarrassing things about the other nations apparently starts a mini-war between them. A laugh escaped Gilbert as a baseball came whizzing past him, courtesy of Alfred. The self-proclaimed hero pouted and sprinted after it.

Gilbert grew slightly bored of the fiasco, and turned his attention to whatever caught it. The lucky winner was a figure in the corner of the room, quiet and not joining in on the fights and arguments. Gilbert wondered who the person was...and why there was a polar bear in his arms. He saw that the man closely resembled America, but Gil could tell that it wasn't him; he was far too silent and timid-looking to be the boastful, loud-mouthed Alfred. Deciding to investigate further, he removed himself from his comfortable position and made his way over to him, careful to avoid objects flying by.

As he approached the figure, he looked up at Gilbert. He received an apologetic look from the blond. "I'm sorry, if you're looking for Alfred, he's over that way." He looked back down, assuming that the albino would turn and go away. To his surprise, he didn't.

"Ja, I realize that. He's really loud!" He then gave a peculiar laugh that sounded like something along the lines of "Kesesese~!" The blond tilted his head slightly at it.

"Anyway, I'm the awesome Gilbert! I am also the personification of the awesome country that is Prussia!" He extended his hand down towards him. The other only stared, speechless, his mouth slightly agape. Gilbert stood there awkwardly. He cleared his throat and chuckled a bit. "Now you take my hand and tell me your name."

He quickly shook his head to clear it, muttering a small apology. He grasped his hand weakly, a tiny smile showing on his features. "I-I'm… Matthew. I represent Canada." Matthew was still trying to grow accustomed to the fact that another person was speaking to him. The only other conversations he usually had were with Kuma…something, and when people mistook him for Alfred.

Gilbert grinned brightly. "Hiya, Matthew! I'm glad you didn't forget how to talk." He sat down beside Matthew and leaned against the wall, stretching his legs out in front of him. He looked out at the sea of people. "Wonder when they'll cool down. Probably a little while," he snickered.

Matthew sighed. "They do fight a lot. They get mad so easily…" He then rested his chin on the palm of his hand, staring out at the arguing nations. They were seeming to calm slightly, but the fighting and yelling had yet to cease.

A small silence settled between them. Kuma was gnawing on a small fish snack Matthew had brought for him, and not paying attention to anyone or anything else. Gilbert pondered about something that he could say to break the quiet.

"Hey… so, um, what kind of things do you do? You talk to a lot of people?" Gilbert turned his head to face the Canadian.

"Well… not really. People don't see me often, or mistake me for Alfred… I guess because I look like him, but I'm really quiet. When we're in the same room nobody realizes I'm here." Matthew looked slightly downcast but quickly covered it up with a small smile. "But I'm used to it now, I suppose. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

Gilbert looked at him with slight surprise. "They don't see you or something?" Matthew shook his head. "Ouch. That must suck. Have you ever tried getting attention?"

"I don't really think I need people to notice me anymore. If the others suddenly started talking to me a lot I would probably be a bit overwhelmed." He chuckled quietly. "Like when you came up to me, I had absolutely no idea what to say."

Gilbert laughed a bit. "Sorry, I guess. You just looked really lonely over here in the corner by yourself. I mean, apart from the polar bear." He pointed to Kuma. "What's with that anyway?"

Matthew glanced down at the bear in his arms. "Oh, him? He's just my pet. We just… quietly share the same space. He doesn't remember me either."

"Geez, can nobody remember you?" he questioned, knitting his eyebrows in confusion.

Matthew shook his head a little. "It appears not. I think I'm just too boring to remember…"

Gilbert tilted his head slightly. "You don't seem boring. Why would you think that?"

Matthew blinked in surprise. "You…you don't think so?"

"Of course not! You seem pretty cool, Mattie!" He let out another bout of his peculiar laugh, causing Matthew to giggle slightly.

A small flash of yellow caught Matthew's eye. He squinted, and Gilbert turned his head to see what he was looking at. His face lit up. "Hey, it's Gilbird! You're back!" He held out his hand, and to Matthew's surprise, a little yellow chick landed on it.

"Is that…a bird?"

Gilbert grinned. "Yup! I named him Gilbird after the awesome me!" The bird let out a peep in acknowledgement. Matthew moved his face closer in curiosity. The little yellow bird hopped to the edge of Gilbert's palm to get a closer look at his features.

"It's cute." A soft smile graced Matthew's lips. Gilbird fluttered his wings and flew up to the top of his head, causing him to laugh a bit.

Gilbert chuckled. "I think he likes you. More than me, maybe." Gilbird chirped, snuggling down into Matthew's soft hair. Gilbert pouted. "Wow, thanks buddy." Matthew laughed more.

"You've got a cute laugh," Gilbert said, smiling at how Matthew's cheeks were tinted pink.

"N-no I don't…" He started at the ground, his blush growing.

"Yea, I like it! Y'know, I don't see how people don't talk to you. You're an awesome person! And don't you try to deny it." Gilbert gently removed the little bird from Matthew's hair before he fell asleep. It would be a bit more difficult if he did that.

The Canadian was surprised. First Gilbert came over to talk to him, and now he was saying that he was enjoying their conversation? He thought it must be a dream.

Elizabeta had noticed the two earlier and was quietly sitting at a distance with Kiku, cameras at the ready in case something happened.

Matthew and Gilbert didn't notice, however, too preoccupied with their conversation. Neither of them paid attention to the German walking up to them. He waited a few moments for Gilbert to see him, but cleared his throat when it became apparent that wasn't going to happen. Gilbert quickly looked up to see his younger brother with his arms crossed.

"Hey, West! Had fun with the chaos?" Gilbert snickered quietly at Ludwig's unamused expression.

"Gilbert, I do not appreciate what you did earlier. Do you realize how long it took to calm them down? More hours than I hoped to spend. This was supposed to be a serious meeting-"

"Yea, yea, but that never happens. I just caused the madness a few minutes earlier than normal. Anyway, this is my new friend. Say hi, Birdie!"

Matthew looked at Gilbert curiously at the new nickname. "Why 'Birdie'?" he questioned.

"Well because birds are awesome, and mine seems to like you! And it suits you, because it's cute!" Gilbert beamed at his logic. Matthew giggled slightly.

Ludwig cut in. "Ja, anyway." He turned his attention back to his brother. "Meeting's over. Time to go home."

Gilbert pouted. "But why? I'm talking, here!" He reached to his side and pulled the Canadian into a gentle hug, causing him to let out a small surprised squeak. Gilbert stuck his tongue out at Ludwig.

"Gilbert, I do not have time for this. It is late, and we need to go home." Ludwig sighed.

A few moments of silence, and Gilbert finally gave in. "Oh, fine. Sorry, Birdie, gotta go. Talk to ya later, okay?"

Matthew gave a tiny nod. "And it's fine if you forget eventually…"

Gilbert laughed. "Nah, I can't forget you. I've got your number now, anyway!" He held up his phone before shoving it in his back pocket. "If it does happen, I'll just call and remember again, problem solved."

"O-okay." Matthew smiled again. "I guess…I'll see you later, then."

Gilbert nodded. "Course you will! Now I seriously need to go, West is getting pissed at me." He chuckled and winked at Matthew before running off and leaving the now near-empty room.

Matthew stared at the door for a good few minutes before a large smile took its place on his face. He got up and gathered his things, figuring he should leave as everyone else was. He replayed his favorite moments of their conversation over in his head, causing him to laugh every once in a while. He received an odd look from Alfred, but he didn't care. He still couldn't take in the fact that someone would talk to him for so long and not leave.

Finally heading to the door, Matthew looked back at the spot they had sat on. Even if he did slip from Gilbert's memory eventually, he had enjoyed the short time they spent talking. He pushed open the large double doors and exited the building, heading to his car and preparing to go home.

* * *

 **Jesus Christ, it was so hard not to tamper with this. I so desperately wanted to change a lot of it because I write differently now but I had made the decision beforehand that I'd leave it as it was written.**

 **But wait, there's more...**


	2. First Bloom

**That's right, there were two of them. Now, since these were originally two separate stories (this was a sequel someone requested) I titled the story as a whole Meeting New People, as the first story was called. This was called First Bloom (I'm very bad at titles).**

* * *

Matthew made his way slowly down the stairs and seated himself on the couch. Still a bit sleepy, he was content just to watch Kumajiro wander around as he chewed on his fish snacks.

His mind kept wandering back to Gilbert. There was something about the unusual albino that made it impossible to forget him. It was most likely the fact that he had actually spoken to Matthew; he still couldn't get over that, and it had already been a week since the world meeting. He sighed as he realized that he probably wouldn't get to talk to Gilbert again. Everyone forgot him, so even if they did run into each other again, he most likely wouldn't recognize Matthew anyway.

Just as he tore his mind away from the though and tried to think of other things, his phone suddenly blared, abruptly shattering the silence and making the Canadian jump. After a few moments of staring at the phone as if it were some foreign device, he hurriedly ran over to it and answered the caller.

"H-hello?" he asked quietly.

"Hey, Birdie! It's me, Gil! We talked last week at the meeting." Matthew could practically hear him smiling.

"Gilbert? You actually called?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Well duh I called! I said I would, didn't I?" Not giving him time to answer, he continued. "Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out later."

Matthew was speechless. He stuttered a bit, causing the Prussian to laugh. "So, is that a no?"

"N-no! I mean, yes. I mean-!" He sighed. "Sorry. I'd love to do something. I-if you really want to, that is."

"'Course I do!" he exclaimed, quite enthusiastically.

Matthew smiled. "So, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Silence.

"I, uh… I don't know, actually…" Gilbert chuckled sheepishly. "But we could figure something out!"

Matthew's smile stayed on. "Yea, sure. We could meet up somewhere… how about the park near my house? Oh, how far away are you?"

Gilbert though for a moment. "Well I planned a little and flew here earlier, and I got a hotel and stuff. I don't think it's too far from where you told me you live; maybe about half an hour or so?"

Matthew blinked in surprise. He was already here? How did Gilbert even know if he would agree? Regardless, he continued their conversation. "A-alright. So… see you in an hour?"

"An hour it is!" Gilbert laughed in his peculiar way, causing Matthew to giggle quietly. "See ya there!" And with that, he hung up.

Matthew placed his phone back on the counter, a soft smile on his face. Figuring he should get ready, he dashed up the stairs and picked out something simple to wear. Throwing on his jeans and red sweatshirt, he headed back downstairs and ate a quick breakfast. After taking care of all his other necessities, he grabbed his keys and his phone, putting the phone in his pocket and carrying his keys to the car.

He mentally mapped out his route to the park before pulling out of the driveway and heading off in the direction he needed to go. He arrived around ten minutes after, turning off his car and climbing out of the vehicle to see the dirt paths and magnificent trees that made up the park.

It was a nice, quit place that Matthew enjoyed very much. He often came here to walk along its paths or just sit and read a book. Deciding to do so during his wait, he took a seat on a nearby bench and pulled out whatever book he was currently halfway into.

It had been around fifteen minutes when the sound of a car began growing louder in the background. Matthew lifted his head from his page to see a silver car parking. As he was wondering who it belonged to, Gilbert stepped out and stretched, confirming his suspicions. Matthew watched as Gilbert turned in different directions, his red eyes squinted. As soon as he spotted Matthew, a huge grin spread across his face and he waved. Matthew shyly waved back, putting his book away and standing up. Gilbert ran over and stood next to him.

"Made it!" he exclaimed. "I almost got lost on the way here." Chuckling, he sat down on the bench and crossed his arms behind his head, Matthew sitting beside him.

"So," Matthew began, "Is there anything specific you wanted to do? I mean, there's a pond a little ways over, and there are benches all around this place. Or we could just walk around and talk a bit."

Gilbert contemplated it for a moment. "How about we do that walking and talking thing on the way to the pond?" He smiled, as if were the most genius thing ever.

"Sounds like a plan." Matthew giggled slightly. Both stood up and decided which direction they would head in before starting down their designated route.

"So… How've you been?" Gilbert asked as he looked around at the leaves scattered about.

Matthew chuckled quietly. "I saw you a week ago, Gilbert. But nothing interesting has happened since then, if you're wondering. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same as usual. Still awesome!" he replied, still grinning.

"Of course." Matthew rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

They continued their little meaningless conversation as they meandered through the park, eventually stumbling upon the pond. Its glittering surface held the image of swaying branches and birds flying overhead, but leaving a circular space in the center for the bright yellow sun to occupy the blue, cloudless sky. It was difficult to believe it wasn't the actual sky itself, only water.

Their attention turned at the sound of quacking behind them. Several ducks were waddling over to the water, and noisily at that. One of them barreled straight into Gilbert's leg, causing him to stumble back, and making Matthew laugh.

"What did I ever do to you?" Gilbert huffed as he regained his balance.

Matthew watched as the last of the ducks made it safely to the water's edge. They began gracefully swimming around, causing the surface to ripple and breaking the beautifully delicate picture.

"Hey," Gilbert called, snapping Matthew out of it, "Watch this." He picked up a smooth stone he had obtained from a sort of collection by the water. Reaching his arm back, he skillfully tossed it onto the water. They watched as the stone repeatedly skipped over the surface, and finally sunk down.

"Whoa," Matthew whispered.

Gilbert laughed. "Wanna try?" He picked up another stone and handed it to Matthew, who took it gingerly.

Turning back to the water, Matthew tossed it awkwardly. It landed with a small thunk in the water, and he pouted.

Gilbert saw him and smiled a little. "Look, like this." He showed him again, this time slower and without letting go of it. "So try it again."

Matthew tossed the stone again, but with the same result as his last attempt.

After thinking momentarily, Gilbert picked another stone and came back to Matthew, placing it in the other's hand. Standing behind him, he carefully took hold of Matthew's arm.

"W-what are you doing?" Matthew looked back at him, his cheeks tinted pink.

"Helping you," Gilbert replied obviously. He guided Matthew's arm back and aided him in tossing the rock so it would correctly skip over the water.

"Hey, it worked!" Matthew beamed when he saw the stone skid across the pond.

"See, it's not that hard."

A calm quiet filled the area. After several moments of standing there, Gilbert realized he was still holding Matthew's arm, and he immediately let go.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, followed by a small, awkward chuckle.

"N-no that's… It's fine." Matthew smiled slightly.

The silence was shattered by the sound of Matthew's phone for the second time that day. Why was he interesting people all of a sudden? He sighed and muttered an apology to Gilbert before whipping out his phone and holding it up to his ear, not bothering to check the caller ID.

A loud voice emitted from the speaker, one that Matthew recognized instantly. "Dude, hey! I just got this awesome new horror game and you absolutely have to come over to play it with me. Right now."

Matthew let out an irritated sigh. "Alfred, me 'coming to play with you' is just what you say when you need someone to be there when you freak out over a harmless video game that isn't even that frightening."

"T-that's not true!" Alfred stuttered. "I don't get scared by that stuff at all!"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Yea, sure. Anyway, I couldn't come even I wanted to." He glanced over at Gilbert, who had seated himself on the ground and was messing with the grass. "I'm busy doing things."

Alfred gave a small, disbelieving snort. "Doing what?"

"I'm hanging out with someone," He stated matter-of-factly.

"Who? Is it that guy you won't shut up about? It had better not be. I'll never hear the end of that tale," Alfred said in a slightly annoyed tone, completely oblivious to the fact that Gilbert could hear him.

Matthew's face was bright red. "I-I do not do that!" Another quick glance at Gilbert and he immediately turned around. The Prussian had his head tilted to the side curiously, but didn't speak up, still seated on the ground.

Alfred laughed a little. "I beg to differ." Matthew suddenly felt like launching his phone into the pond; maybe it would skip across the water as well.

Changing the subject, Matthew continued. "Alfred, if you want someone to suffer through being in the same room as you, call Kiku. Heck, even Arthur if you need."

"Why would I ask Arthur?"

"Because you love him. Bye." Not giving him a chance to protest, Matthew hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

He turned back to Gilbert, a small, apologetic smile on his face. "I, um…"

Gilbert chuckled. "Interesting phone call. That was your brother, right?" He got a nod in response. "He gets scared that easily?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"So… what was that he said about-"

"Nothing!" Matthew cut him off. "H-he doesn't know what he's talking about."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged after a moment.

He looked over to the where the sun was beginning to lower in the sky, outlining the trees so that they seemed almost black. They both decided to head back to their cars before it got too dark to find their way back. Upon arriving where they met up in the first place, Gilbert turned and smiled at Matthew, to which he returned one.

"I had fun here! It's a cool place," Gilbert said approvingly while taking a moment to glance around once more.

"Thank you. I really enjoy it here, but I wasn't sure what you'd think of it," Matthew said, still smiling.

Gilbert looked back at him. "Good choice then! I should probably leave though. Ludwig wants me back home tomorrow." He pouted slightly, but almost immediately perked back up. "I'll come visit again sometime soon!"

"I'd love that. We could plan a little more too." Matthew giggled quietly.

"Sure thing! It'll be even more awesome!" Gilbert seemed to become more enthusiastic with each passing moment. "I'll call when I can have a general idea or something."

"Alright, it's a date." Matthew's eyes widened and he blushed furiously. "I mean, no, not like that!" He hid his face in his hands. "Oh god, I didn't mean to say that."

Gilbert laughed. "I guess you could call it a date; It pretty much is." He saw Matthew stutter a bit and laughed again. "You're cute, you know." He quickly kissed Matthew on the cheek before grinning and retreating to his car, waving to him one last time before closing the door and driving out of the park. It only took a few moments for the vehicle to disappear from view.

Matthew was frozen, his fingers lightly brushing the spot where Gilbert's lips had touched. Had he really just…?

After recovering from the shock of it, Matthew smiled. Making sure he had all his belongings present, he practically skipped over to his car. He hummed as he ignited the engine and started on his way back to his house. Once there, he rushed inside, momentarily startling Kuma, but he didn't care. He flopped down on the couch and stared at the ceiling, giggling lightly.

Well, Alfred was right about one thing-he would never hear the end of this.

* * *

 **You've made it through that hell hole, and I congratulate you all.**

 **If you would like to read more by me I'd check out Truly an Artist, if you enjoy a bit a Spamano in your life! It wasn't written three years ago guys I just started it so no need to worry.**

 **And, remember, reviews save lives.**


End file.
